Soha to be questioned in Pataudi’s black buck shooting

Gurgaon, March 18 (IANS) Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan, daughter of cricketer Mansur Ali Pataudi and actor Sharmila Tagore, is likely to face legal trouble for concealing facts when she renewed her gun licence here. Gurgaon district authorities indicated Tuesday that they would issue a notice to Soha Ali Khan, demanding to know why legal action should not be taken against her for her violation of legal requirements while renewing the gun licence. She is also likely to be questioned, authorities here said.

Soha Ali has been accused of concealing the fact that her rifle was being used by her father, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, and that he used that weapon to kill a black buck in 2005.

“We would serve her (Soha Ali Khan) a show-cause notice and ask her to appear before the investigating teams over a period of two weeks,” Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Gupta said Tuesday.

The actress did not reveal crucial facts to the Gurgaon district administration while renewing the licence for the rifle that Pataudi allegedly used to kill a black buckin June 2005 in Jhajjar district of Haryana.

Soha’s rifle was among the firearms seized when Pataudi was caught by the Jhajjar police with a black buck carcass.

Eight people, including Pataudi, were booked on charges of poaching wild animals. The case is being heard in an environment court in Faridabad.

Soha hid both the crucial facts that the gun was used by an unauthorized man in a poaching case and since then it was under the custody of police as a criminal evidence, when she applied for the renewal of the gun licence.

According to law, the license of the gun should have been cancelled immediately and a case for not keeping the licensed firearm properly should have been registered against the actress.

Animal rights activists also allege that Soha was a minor when a she got the licence.